Recently in Men's Category

UW sophomore Duje Dukan is overseas preparing with the Croatian National Team for the U-20 European Championships in Bilbao, Spain, later this summer. He'll be checking in periodically with UWBadgers.com with stories from the road.

In the meantime we were in Italy for a tournament with Serbia, Finland and Italy which was a good tournament for us to get in game reps. It also gave us a chance to get used to playing with each other before the European championships so we can really hit our peak then.

Our first game was against Finland, who definitely surprised us as they shot the ball really well, which allowed them to beat us. It was a tough game but a good first game because it was a wake-up call, as our next opponent was our huge rival, Serbia. It's always a game of pride when you play them.

From the get-go we were really active and jumped on them early and they never recovered. Beating Serbia was very big because they are a very good team who many people believe will get a medal in Spain in the European Championships.

Our final game was versus Italy and it was interesting to see how hometown refs really value/side with the hometown team. But despite that, we were still in the game even though our coach got tossed and everything. In the end, we lost by 6 and overall the tournament went well because we were able to get acclimated to each other and beat a very good team.

I learned a lot in those 3 exhibition games about European basketball. One of the things was that languages come in very handy because your opponent has no idea what you're saying so you can call out plays and tell everyone exactly what to do and they won't know a thing. The border with referees is also a big one because they are generally from all over Europe and not all of them speak English well enough so it's hard to communicate with them.

The most common excuse or saying I've heard from them is, "I'm sorry I don't speak English." Another thing was how much skill is valued over strength because there are many kids who are weak here, but they are effective because they are smart and have good skills.

So, now we're in France for two "friendly" matches with the French prior to heading to Bilbao, Spain, for the European Championships. These two games against the French will be weird because they are also one of our opponents in group play of the Championships. So both teams will be hiding some of their sets, as well as giving everyone fair minutes so we don't get too familiar with each other.

Hope everything is well back home and everyone is doing great. Sorry for the long delay between journal entries, but internet access has been rare.

For a UW student athlete, the sports calendar is nearly a
12-month commitment. With extra classes and workouts filling most of the
summer, it's rare that guys like Mike Bruesewitz are ever off campus.

However, since the school year ended in mid-May, Bruesewitz
and his teammates have been scattered to their hometowns and beyond. Most use
the time to recharge their batteries and work out with friends and former high
school teammates.

The clock is ticking for their return to Madison as summer
classes and workouts resume on Monday, June 13.

For Bruesewitz, that's not soon enough.

"I'm pretty anxious to get back to Madison," Bruesewitz said
this week from his home in the St. Paul, Minn. area. "It will be nice to have a
gym open any time we need it and not have to drive 30 minutes to work out like
I'm doing now."

Since emerging as a media darling during the 2011 NCAA
Tournament, Bruesewitz has backed off the workouts a bit to let his knee
recover. You'll remember that the soon-to-be junior averaged 8.7 points and 6.3
rebounds off the bench during the tournament, but did so on a sprained knee,
which he suffered during the Big Ten tournament.

Just recently Bruesewitz has ramped up the training again
and has admitted that it's been a lot of work.

"After sitting out the last two months, it's been a struggle
to get going again," he admitted. "My knee is completely fine, but my body just
isn't used to the workouts yet. There is plenty of motivation for me and for
our team, so we're all excited to get back to Madison and get going again."

Dukan will be spending a few weeks this summer playing for the Croatian National Team in the U-20 European Championships in Bilbao, Spain from July 14-24. Dukan, who was born in Split, Croatia, has dual citizenship in Croatia and the United States.

"I'm really excited about getting an opportunity to play for a national team and representing a county should be an unbelievable experience," Dukan said. "I'm going in with an open mind and I know that I'm going to have to learn on the fly."

Dukan will travel to Croatia on Thursday, June 2 and spend the first two weeks in a tryout/training setting. The Croatian team will then play a few exhibition games before participating in the European Championships. Croatia is paired in Pool B with Latvia, France and Sweden.

The Deerfield, Ill., native was approached last summer about playing with the Croatian National Team, but after talking to head coach Bo Ryan decided to turn down the opportunity, instead enrolling in summer classes at UW and training in Madison with his new teammates.

When the Croatian National Team came calling again this summer, Ryan gave Dukan his blessing to play in the European Championships.

While international competition will be a new experience for Dukan, playing in a European setting won't be.

"My family has spent time in Europe every summer and while we're over there I've trained and practiced with one of the local teams," Dukan explained. "There are some rule changes in international basketball, a different ball and the game in general is just a little different, but being that I've been in that environment a little will hopefully help with the learning curve."

As a freshman, Dukan appeared in just eight games for the Badgers and is looking forward to the chance to get game minutes.

"I think this experience will help me out because I'll get to face the top European competition in my age group," Dukan added. "If I have aspirations of playing professional basketball after college, this will help me gauge my game a little. Also, this will definitely help for next year. I didn't play a lot of minutes last season, so just getting some game situations and play should help."

When the Big Ten Conference announced the pairings for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Tuesday, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan did not have to go far to hear the Badgers' draw. Ryan and the conference's other 11 head coaches have been in Chicago this week at the Big Ten meetings.

Ryan was pleased to find out that Wisconsin will face North Carolina in the 2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge (Nov. 30 in Chapel Hill, N.C.). In between sessions at the Big Ten meetings, Ryan weighed in on what it means to take one of college basketball's blue bloods.

"Being pitted against North Carolina, one of the more storied programs in all of college basketball, is exciting," Ryan said. "We get a chance to match up against a very good program in a venue that is a great place to play.

"That's why they call it the Big Ten/ACC Challenge because you're always going to be challenged and this will be quite a test. North Carolina could very possibly be the No. 1 team in the nation when we play them."

Ryan's Badgers have won each of their last six games against ACC foes, including "Challenge" wins over Virginia Tech, Duke and NC State in each of the last three seasons.

"I think being paired with North Carolina shows respect for our players and our program and what we've accomplished," Ryan added. "Having this game on our schedule stays in line with what we try to do in putting together a competitive non-conference schedule and prepares us for the always difficult Big Ten."

UW's trip to the Dean Dome rounds out a 2011-12 non-conference schedule that is also highlighted by playing in the Chicago Invitational Tournament and hosting both Marquette and UNLV.

We're on the cusp of May and the college hockey season is a
memory, but you can still catch Badgers playing hockey on television these
days.

There are five alumni left playing in the NHL playoffs and
all in the Western Conference. You can catch them live on Versus and NBC over
the next couple of weeks.Beginning tonight (Thursday), the Nashville Predators Ryan
Suter and Blake Geoffrion take on Vancouver with hopes of advancing to the conference
finals. Nashville just won its first-ever playoff series.

Joe Pavelski, Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks take on
Brian Rafalski and the Detroit Red Wings in the second round beginning Friday.
Wisconsin's head coach Mike Eaves will have an added interest in the series as
his son Patrick skates for the Red Wings.

Also Friday, the 2011 IIHF World Championships begin in Kosice,
Slovakia. The current roster is just shy of one-quarter Badgers, with five
of the 23 having skated for Wisconsin. Current Badger forward Craig Smith
(Madison, Wis.), is joined by 2011 Second-Team All-American defenseman Jake
Gardiner (Minnetonka, Minn.), as well as 2006 NCAA West Regional hero Jack
Skille (Madison, Wis.), and New York Ranger teammates Derek Stepan (Hastings,
Minn.) and Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.).

The U.S. will face
Austria, Norway and Sweden in preliminary-round play April 30 - May 4 before
advancing to either the Qualification or Relegation Round. Team USA's first six
games will be aired live on Versus, which will also broadcast both of the tournament's
semifinal games on May 13 and the gold-medal tilt on May 15.

Badger alum Jim Johannson serves as USA Hockey's Assistant
Executive Director, Hockey Operations and is part of the team's staff.

Three Badgers remain in the AHL playoffs, as the league
reaches the second round. Ben Street's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins take on
the Charlotte Checkers, Kyle Klubertanz' Hamilton Bulldogs face the Manitoba
Moose and Robbie Earl's Houston Aeros will battle the Milwaukee Admirals.

The ECHL has reached the conference finals in the Kelly Cup
playoffs and one Badger remains. The Victoria Salmon Kings Ryan MacMurchy is
the sole survivor.

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- In honor of the Badgers'
appearance in the 2011 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16, @BadgerMBBall sent out 16
Tweets with observations and commentary leading up to the fourth-round match-up
between No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 8 Butler.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Badgers advanced to the 2011
NCAA Tournament Round of 32, and that meant @BadgerMBBall sent out 32
Tweets with observations and commentary leading up to the second round NCAA
tournament game between No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 5 Kansas State.

Two days
into the NHL playoffs and the impact of Wisconsin men's hockey alumni is being
felt. Big time.

To start, 11
former Badgers are skating in the playoffs, the most of any college team in the
nation.

There have
been eight games played and 27 goals scored thus far. Badgers account for 14.8
percent of the goals, 20 percent of the first goals and 20 percent of the
game-winning goals, including 50 percent of the overtime game-winning goals.
Granted there isn't a large sample of yet, but former Badger names can be heard
in five of the eight series and on eight of the 16 teams involved in the
playoffs.

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Reaching the Sweet 16 can do many things for a college basketball program. Energize the fan-base, boost recruiting, sell tickets for the following season and of course set up a chance to bring home a trophy.

Reaching the second weekend of the NCAA tournament also means a lot of attention from the national media. The Wisconsin Badgers are realizing that here in New Orleans.

A quick roll call of the national media assembled here in the Crescent City reveals: Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn and Kelly Anderson, ESPN's Andy Katz and Rick Reilly, Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman, Marlen Garcia of USA Today, the New York Times' Pete Thamel and Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, among others.

Between beignets on Bourbon Street and jazz joint sojourns, the media have taken a liking to Bo Ryan and his Badgers. While not all journalists may agree on the beauty of "Wisconsin's style" there is certainly a consensus that "Wisconsin wins."

And winning is beautiful.

Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn has Wisconsin No. 4 on his Sweet 16 Power Rankings and features a great video of Mike Bruesewitz discussing his rust-colored coif.